Could Diet Quality Influence Asthma Symptom Severity?

Diet quality was associated with asthma symptom severity in patients who never smoked, according to the findings of a new study.

The study included data from 969 adults involved in the French prospective Epidemiological Study on the Genetics and Environment of Asthma study (mean age 43 years, 49% men, and 42% ever asthma). Researchers assessed the quality of participants’ diet using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 at baseline, and assessed changes in asthma symptoms for a mean follow-up time of 7 years. In addition, researchers examined whether smoking status or body mass index (BMI) modified the effects of diet on asthma symptom severity.
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Smoking status was found to modify the relationship between the quality of diet and changes in asthma symptoms. In current and former smokers, all effects between diet and BMI were statistically non-significant.

In never smokers, the researchers observed a positive total effect and a positive direct effect between diet quality and improved asthma symptoms, but BMI did not mediate the effect indirectly.

“Better diet quality was associated with improved asthma symptoms over time in never smokers, independently of BMI,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Li Z, Kesse-Guyot E, Dumas O, et al. Longitudinal study of diet quality and change in asthma symptoms in adults, according to smoking status [published online April 6, 2017]. Br J Nutr. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114517000368.